A long long time ago I used to play a game where you could play as either an alien or some kind of space marine, you were always on a team, and you were always strictly against the other team. I don't remember the name of the game, but at the time it made a strong impression on me.

Since then, I was out of PC games for a while and only played console games, then recently, with a job and some disposable income, I picked up a worthwhile PC. Then I've come back to hear people talking about a lot of modifications to games that exist. One of the biggest being World of Warcraft mods, which seem to all be just addons that make everything easier for you and make you not have to do the work that the game originally intended.

Now, I'm not saying that a company always knows what is best for a game, they could very well have it all wrong and some of these minor mods are better, but I've always felt like they denigrated the original game to a point. Sure, sometimes things can be not so great in a game, but I've never felt... right about downloading something like that.

On the other hand, a complete new game based around an existing game is pure creativity, the fact that they are allowed to base that new game on the old system is, as a computer programmer, quite a novel idea to me, and I think it would be great if more people did it, I would certainly download tons of those types of games. (as long as they sound fun of course)

What do you guys think?

Im pretty sure the game you're thinking of was one by Games Workshop (and its Warhammer 40k offspring)... Namely either Final Liberation or Rites of War (but there are others)... They were awesome for their time...
But I do kinda agree with your thoughts on mods... It does kinda feel like you're 'cheating' in a way. One thing I would LOVE to have happen (I think UT does this) is basically either one of two things;
1. Give us an editing software like that give to us in Age of Empire (really must play that again) and Unreal Tornament that means we can tailor everything to our own wants, and thus ensure us playing their game more.
2. Not only allow other people create mods (with or without given software for it) but ALSO compile some of the best ones, like huge new maps, or specialized characters etc. and THEN release it as a patch, or (if they're real %*^*$£&s) sell it as a new game after buying out the guys who made it...
Makes it feel like they've validated their efforts then... Theres also the added factor that these guys have ALL this work done for a stupidly lower price then doing it themselves... Like Dawn of War had an entire Tyranid mod done for it, which had entirely original buildings for it and everything... THQ could have capitalised on that easily...

I love mods, at least certain ones. In fact I've gotten so into mods that for awhile I was the beta lead for one of the major HL2 mods. However I tend to dislike any mod, for example new weapon mods in Oblivion, that could make me more powerful than otherwise possible in the game. I tend to tell myself that developers made the game a certain way for a reason, and that the majority of modders aren't dedicated nor skilled enough to maintain the original balance of the game. Therefore I tend to go for mainly aesthetic mods, although I once I dominate a game and don't really have much left to do, I may go download some extra fan-made side quests or goodies to give me something new.

On the whole though, modding to me means taking a finished product and making it into something new, such as source mods. I see mods such as those in Oblivion, or custom skins or models, as addons, and tend not to be as interested in them. I still use them, but I don't hold the same enthusiasm which I have for total conversions.

I love most mods, makes gameplay unusual and fun, for example Unreal Tournament 2004, that game has more mods then the population of australia, all of them good

Modders are cool as long as they dont bring their shit online. Like the rapid fire G3, aimbot, and insta-UAV in COD4 and rapid .357mag in CoD:WaW. People who do that suck.

I'm an absolute sucker for Source Mods.

Age of Chivalry, anyone?

I like playing with dumb little mods. For instance, I had a lot of fun with mods for Jedi Academy. I was young and stupid but I found infinity fun playing as a badly-done Anakin.

i dont use lots of mods exept of oblivion and fallout

RIOT MAST3R:
Modders are cool as long as they dont bring their shit online. Like the rapid fire G3, aimbot, and insta-UAV in COD4 and rapid .357mag in CoD:WaW. People who do that suck.

Oh yeah, this is nasty. I don't know about CoD4 (I've only played it on the 360 which is odd for me, I'm generally a PC FPSer, but somehow not this time). Supposedly VAC is really good on steam though, and I've never seen any issues with Team Fortress 2, so I'm OK with it. I DO remember the days of counterstrike though... ugh.

I love mods for Fallout 3 and Oblivion. I have waaaaaay too many.

Also, HL2 Mods are pretty bitching.

Yay.

nilcypher:
I don't really play mods that often, as typically I've moved onto a new game before a mod will catch my eye. The exception to the rule was oblivion, but the mods for that were largely cosmetic, like nicer book covers or better hair.

I've played the occasional source mod though, and I'm very excited about Black Mesa Source.

My words exactly.
'Cept I have a tendency to skin things in video games to make it "better", like changing the USP Match in Half Life 2 to a Colt 1911, or putting a Tenders mod onto Sid Meier's Railroads.

I'll try any interesting mod going :D

the best my laptop can play is mount&blade which does have a pretty active mod community but I've never gotten into it. I was always jealous of the mods availible for the PC version of oblivion, entire new cities, bug fixes, armour, weapons etc etc. when playing the xbox version.

I have never used mods and I really don't want to. A lot of People have killed their computers using mods and they were out a ton of cash.

I like mods that make the game a bit more wacky.

Like, being able to jump 100 feet.

Iampringles:
I like mods that make the game a bit more wacky.

Like, being able to jump 100 feet.

You mean like Gordon Freeman could do in half-life one? ;)

fullmetalangel:
Well, ever since I played Project Reality for Battlefield 2 I've had an enormously high standard for mods. They either change everything, or they're not worth it. But that's just me.

I agree with that. I also have a quality threshold. Way too many mods are just amateur 3D modeling on top of buggy first time programming with uncreative art noobish game mechanics and sound that is likely straight from the modded game.

I understand why people do this, I encourage everyone to try it and congratulate all that do. But I don't want to download it to my computer or immerse myself in that environment.

Mods rule, I love all the stuff the OFP and ArmA modding communities come up with.

Mods are great, especially for Source games. For some reason I have become addicted to skin modifications for Left 4 Dead. Now Zoey's jacket is blue, Louis' tie is black, and now Francis has a Harley Davidson shirt. And with a bullet time mod!

Yaaaay!

Codgo:

Darkside360:
Mods rule, I love all the stuff the OFP and ArmA modding communities come up with.

All the mod stuff from OFP and ArmA has been amazing, just about anything you can think of and somebody has made it.

Nuke mod, great for epic mission ends lol.

The only game I have modded was Galactic Civilizations, because there are a bunch of really great event and item mods that add a huge amount of variety to the gameplay.
but I wasn't really into modding in my PC days because I was young and foolish. These days, I'm mainly a console gamer.

I love mods, aslong as they change/add elements of gameplay (every thing is better if you put more crap in it.) or if they change the map lay out, other.
Sword... From Mac.clanhalo.net IS THE BEST MODDER EVER, with his Island mod (Haven't played Halo:Combat Evolved Demo in ages though), the basic run down of the mod is that it replaces Blood Gulch with the silent cartogrepher map, for multiplayer as well as spawned drivable pelcans and unlike most modders for the demo actually remembered to put the locations for the tanks and ghosts as well as odd balls and king of the hill spots, if you wanted to try out another game type besides ctf or slayer. (I AM NOT RAMBLING ABOUT HALO, I AM RAMBLING ABOUT A MOD FOR IT.)
Another demo with good mods was Battle Field 1942's demo, I won't go into detail there but the demo was so popular that the server had to have it that you were a member to play it. (I think the server was gamespy, or was it gamespot (One of those)) Which I found rediculous... I MEAN PAYING FOR A DEMO??? WHAT IS WITH THAT?

Generally I don't tend to play mods that affect the original game, unless it's an epic open-world game like Oblivion. The only real exception to that was using this for HL2, which took about three times as long to reload and added a little bit more tension to fights.

Generally I go for mods that are more like add-ons, or model replacements. I've got so many of both installed for Half-Life, it's ridiculous.

coldfrog:

RIOT MAST3R:
Modders are cool as long as they dont bring their shit online. Like the rapid fire G3, aimbot, and insta-UAV in COD4 and rapid .357mag in CoD:WaW. People who do that suck.

Oh yeah, this is nasty. I don't know about CoD4 (I've only played it on the 360 which is odd for me, I'm generally a PC FPSer, but somehow not this time). Supposedly VAC is really good on steam though, and I've never seen any issues with Team Fortress 2, so I'm OK with it. I DO remember the days of counterstrike though... ugh.

Im talkin 360. That sh-t still gets online somehow.

curlycrouton:
I'm an absolute sucker for Source Mods.

Age of Chivalry, anyone?

Tis awesome!

Considering how I recently started developing a Fallout 3 plugin that only changed things I find annoying about the original because the existing mods did too much, I guess I firmly fit into that category.

Zac_Dai:

curlycrouton:
I'm an absolute sucker for Source Mods.

Age of Chivalry, anyone?

Tis awesome!

'Tis indeed! Don't suppose you play GoldenEye: Source as well do you? I haven't played it yet, but it looks a lot of fun.

curlycrouton:

Zac_Dai:

curlycrouton:
I'm an absolute sucker for Source Mods.

Age of Chivalry, anyone?

Tis awesome!

'Tis indeed! Don't suppose you play GoldenEye: Source as well do you? I haven't played it yet, but it looks a lot of fun.

Nope but I loved Goldeneye as a kid so I'll check it out, thanks for the link.

Well I download almost any kind of mod (Except trainers - They take the fun out the game!) but only after I've finished the game, since then I have the experience that was intended to be given.

I love the modding tools available for PC Games, its amazing, especially the Kvatch Restored mod for Oblivion, it looks beautiful and adds an extra city into the game.

I can't wait for the GECK for Fallout 3.